Feywild/Shadowfell as Campaign Settings - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Feywild/Shadowfell as Campaign Settings

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Grinning-Oni
Jan 21, 2009 15:10:00 It seems to me that the Feywild and the Shadowfell are both places that could be expanded into full campaign settings. Each have a unique over riding tone and themes, yet great amounts of room for variety, a full worlds worth even. I think it would be great to have campaign guides for both of these places, the would be useful for running full campaigns there or could be attached to just about any other setting as supplemental material.

I posted this topic over at ENworld a few days ago, but was curious what people here thought.
#2
mvincent
Jan 21, 2009 16:59:14 Agreed. However, each prime material setting technically has their own Feywild and Shadowfell (with geography similar to the associated setting)... so large area maps may not work.

Still, it's a good idea. The Manual of the Planes gave some details, and I imagine modules E1 Death's Reach, E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls, and E3 Prince of Undeath might contain further details on Shadowfell locations.

P3 Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress will almost certainly contain Shadowfell location details (since Nightwyrm Fortress is in the Shadowfell).

I will post later with more resources.
#3
mvincent
Jan 21, 2009 17:13:07 Some resources from earlier editions that one could use for the Shadowfell:
• Details for the Plane of Shadow
• parts of the ethereal plane
• parts of the plane of negative energy
• For Letherna: use Cabal Macabre from Ocanthus (4th layer of Acheron)
• Moil: from Return to Tomb of Horrors
• Fortress of Conclusion: from Return to Tomb of Horrors
• Domains of Dread: from the Ravenloft setting

For the Feywild one could use (from earlier editions):
• Details for the Plane of Faerie.
• parts of Ysgard (Alfheim, and Nidavellir in the Feywild underdark) and/or Arvandor.
• For the Court of stars: use details for when it was previously in Arvandor. Also use details for the Seelie court. Titania is now called Tiandra, and Oberon is now known as Oran.
• For the Isle of Dread : use the module of the same title, and/or the details provided by Dungeon magazines.
• For Mag Tureah: the unseelie court from Phlegethon, Pandemonium might have some use
#4
endarian_dup
Jan 22, 2009 6:22:22 Two of my players wanted to play Shadar-Kai, so I incorporated the Shadowfell into our game.

I'm playing that the Shadowfell is a twin to the mortal world, but with a darker subplot.

For example - the campaign arc started in a huge cavern populated by dwarves.

A dragon stole something of theirs and then retreated through a rift in the shadowfell...when they followed, the cavern was still there, but the dwarvish stronghold was destroyed and inhabited by a Death Giant (not to be fought at the current level). The PC's had to sneak past the shadar-kai that lived in the the cavern, avoiding the death giant.

As the group left the cave and found the 'forest' outside, they found it to be an evil twin to the forest in the mortal world. The sky is perpetually overcast and most of the colors are drabbed versions of themselves. The forest is covered in vines, webs and rot.

When the group got to the clearing in the forest, they found the twin to the farmer and his farm/barn/field. But here, the wheat was grey and trampled, the barn was falling apart and the farm needed a new roof. When the farmer was seen, they found him to be undead, with undead dogs as well.

Not all is bad, but most is strange. The next encounter was with a neutral group of bugs that had morphed into human sized sentient beings that were happy the group killed the farmer. Using comprehend languages and a polyglot gem, the group was able to converse with the click/beep/squeek language and get the bug people to take them to the dragon's lair.

Last night, they fought an undead dragon - the twin to the one who stole the artifact. Next week, they fight the bigger, real monster...
#5
Hocus-Smokus
Jan 22, 2009 10:06:03 If you're familiar at all with the old Wraith: The Oblivion RPG (I site that one, as I have not played any White Wolf games since the late '90s), then you know where I'm going with this. I treat the Shadowfell as no more than a dark, over-lapping plane. It has all the same things as the prime material plane (or whatever the new edition calls it), just darker...a LOT darker. Reflective surfaces mirror back greusome images of passers-by. Clean cobblestones in the prime world are cracked, blackened, moldy, and dirty. Beautiful mansions in the prime world are crumbling, ghostly places. In other words, the principle geography is the same, but on a much darker scale. I've dropped my PCs into the Shadowfell a few times now, and they really love it. They love the dark, forboding aspect. They love the constant grey and black skies, the perpetual chill that's always in the air, the grisly things that are seen as horrifying in the prime world that are nothing of importance there. In other words...I'm having a blast with it.
#6
endarian_dup
Jan 22, 2009 10:08:53
If you're familiar at all with the old Wraith: The Oblivion RPG (I site that one, as I have not played any White Wolf games since the late '90s), then you know where I'm going with this. I treat the Shadowfell as no more than a dark, over-lapping plane. It has all the same things as the prime material plane (or whatever the new edition calls it), just darker...a LOT darker. Reflective surfaces mirror back greusome images of passers-by. Clean cobblestones in the prime world are cracked, blackened, moldy, and dirty. Beautiful mansions in the prime world are crumbling, ghostly places. In other words, the principle geography is the same, but on a much darker scale. I've dropped my PCs into the Shadowfell a few times now, and they really love it. They love the dark, forboding aspect. They love the constant grey and black skies, the perpetual chill that's always in the air, the grisly things that are seen as horrifying in the prime world that are nothing of importance there. In other words...I'm having a blast with it.

Yep, same as what I'm doing. I like it.
#7
el_shawno
Jan 22, 2009 12:50:17 If the Feywild is the brighter, clearer, wilder, more technicolor Oz to our world, then the Shadowfell could be the slowly decaying husk. I think I good possible template for the Shadowfell in this mode could be Roland's world form the Gunslinger series. The Feywild is the bright dawn, the Prime Material is the midday, and the Shadowfell is the world that has moved on.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Grinning-Oni Jan 21, 2009 15:10:00	It seems to me that the Feywild and the Shadowfell are both places that could be expanded into full campaign settings. Each have a unique over riding tone and themes, yet great amounts of room for variety, a full worlds worth even. I think it would be great to have campaign guides for both of these places, the would be useful for running full campaigns there or could be attached to just about any other setting as supplemental material. I posted this topic over at ENworld a few days ago, but was curious what people here thought.
#2 mvincent Jan 21, 2009 16:59:14	Agreed. However, each prime material setting technically has their own Feywild and Shadowfell (with geography similar to the associated setting)... so large area maps may not work. Still, it's a good idea. The Manual of the Planes gave some details, and I imagine modules E1 Death's Reach, E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls, and E3 Prince of Undeath might contain further details on Shadowfell locations. P3 Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress will almost certainly contain Shadowfell location details (since Nightwyrm Fortress is in the Shadowfell). I will post later with more resources.
#3 mvincent Jan 21, 2009 17:13:07	Some resources from earlier editions that one could use for the Shadowfell: • Details for the Plane of Shadow • parts of the ethereal plane • parts of the plane of negative energy • For Letherna: use Cabal Macabre from Ocanthus (4th layer of Acheron) • Moil: from Return to Tomb of Horrors • Fortress of Conclusion: from Return to Tomb of Horrors • Domains of Dread: from the Ravenloft setting For the Feywild one could use (from earlier editions): • Details for the Plane of Faerie. • parts of Ysgard (Alfheim, and Nidavellir in the Feywild underdark) and/or Arvandor. • For the Court of stars: use details for when it was previously in Arvandor. Also use details for the Seelie court. Titania is now called Tiandra, and Oberon is now known as Oran. • For the Isle of Dread : use the module of the same title, and/or the details provided by Dungeon magazines. • For Mag Tureah: the unseelie court from Phlegethon, Pandemonium might have some use
#4 endarian_dup Jan 22, 2009 6:22:22	Two of my players wanted to play Shadar-Kai, so I incorporated the Shadowfell into our game. I'm playing that the Shadowfell is a twin to the mortal world, but with a darker subplot. For example - the campaign arc started in a huge cavern populated by dwarves. A dragon stole something of theirs and then retreated through a rift in the shadowfell...when they followed, the cavern was still there, but the dwarvish stronghold was destroyed and inhabited by a Death Giant (not to be fought at the current level). The PC's had to sneak past the shadar-kai that lived in the the cavern, avoiding the death giant. As the group left the cave and found the 'forest' outside, they found it to be an evil twin to the forest in the mortal world. The sky is perpetually overcast and most of the colors are drabbed versions of themselves. The forest is covered in vines, webs and rot. When the group got to the clearing in the forest, they found the twin to the farmer and his farm/barn/field. But here, the wheat was grey and trampled, the barn was falling apart and the farm needed a new roof. When the farmer was seen, they found him to be undead, with undead dogs as well. Not all is bad, but most is strange. The next encounter was with a neutral group of bugs that had morphed into human sized sentient beings that were happy the group killed the farmer. Using comprehend languages and a polyglot gem, the group was able to converse with the click/beep/squeek language and get the bug people to take them to the dragon's lair. Last night, they fought an undead dragon - the twin to the one who stole the artifact. Next week, they fight the bigger, real monster...
#5 Hocus-Smokus Jan 22, 2009 10:06:03	If you're familiar at all with the old Wraith: The Oblivion RPG (I site that one, as I have not played any White Wolf games since the late '90s), then you know where I'm going with this. I treat the Shadowfell as no more than a dark, over-lapping plane. It has all the same things as the prime material plane (or whatever the new edition calls it), just darker...a LOT darker. Reflective surfaces mirror back greusome images of passers-by. Clean cobblestones in the prime world are cracked, blackened, moldy, and dirty. Beautiful mansions in the prime world are crumbling, ghostly places. In other words, the principle geography is the same, but on a much darker scale. I've dropped my PCs into the Shadowfell a few times now, and they really love it. They love the dark, forboding aspect. They love the constant grey and black skies, the perpetual chill that's always in the air, the grisly things that are seen as horrifying in the prime world that are nothing of importance there. In other words...I'm having a blast with it.
#6 endarian_dup Jan 22, 2009 10:08:53	If you're familiar at all with the old Wraith: The Oblivion RPG (I site that one, as I have not played any White Wolf games since the late '90s), then you know where I'm going with this. I treat the Shadowfell as no more than a dark, over-lapping plane. It has all the same things as the prime material plane (or whatever the new edition calls it), just darker...a LOT darker. Reflective surfaces mirror back greusome images of passers-by. Clean cobblestones in the prime world are cracked, blackened, moldy, and dirty. Beautiful mansions in the prime world are crumbling, ghostly places. In other words, the principle geography is the same, but on a much darker scale. I've dropped my PCs into the Shadowfell a few times now, and they really love it. They love the dark, forboding aspect. They love the constant grey and black skies, the perpetual chill that's always in the air, the grisly things that are seen as horrifying in the prime world that are nothing of importance there. In other words...I'm having a blast with it. Yep, same as what I'm doing. I like it.
#7 el_shawno Jan 22, 2009 12:50:17	If the Feywild is the brighter, clearer, wilder, more technicolor Oz to our world, then the Shadowfell could be the slowly decaying husk. I think I good possible template for the Shadowfell in this mode could be Roland's world form the Gunslinger series. The Feywild is the bright dawn, the Prime Material is the midday, and the Shadowfell is the world that has moved on.